It's true! And still do. Probably no surprise to hear but, yes, they were my gateway to prose both short and long. Even though I have difficulty remembering myself as anything but the voracious reader I am now - I know that those comics my mom would allow me to select from the bookstore and bring home were what hooked me into the world of the word. We live in lucky days, these days, as there are so many quality comics and graphic novels out there to choose from, ones that appeal directly to that formative age group of 6-10 (and 11, and 12 and ). Even the ones with way more pictures than words still serve to introduce the young ones to the art of storytelling. Books: the best gift idea!

A big-seller all year-round, Brian Ralph's video game-inspired, Zombie story was my go-to recommendation for youngsters who maybe regard reading with a little reticence. Everybody loves Zombies, right? (That question is for youngsters and the answer is "yes!")

Legends of Zita is here! This, the sequel to Ben Hatke's 1st Zita adventure (which we also have in stock) should get as much love and laughs as its predecessor did.

Barry Deutch's Mirka is "yet another troll-fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl" and this is her second adventure. Funny, fantastic and recommended for grades 3-6, Deutch has created an unorthodox sort of heroine who happens to be Orthodox and who stand up to bullies but would rather be taking down dragons!

Doug TenNapel's books of fantastic adventures are very popular with kids (young teen) with a taste for the weird (so, ALL kids, I guess?). His latest is Ghostopolis but that came out in 2010, so we should be expecting something new from him soon. In the meantime we have his creepy alien adventure Cardboard , the strange and twisty Bad Island and the aforementioned Ghostopolis on hand.

Stone-cold classic time! We always carry L'Engle's books and this is a brand new graphic novel (by Hope Larson) of her most famous work. This one's flying of the shelves!

Whenever people ask us "what's a good graphic novel for a kid who hasn't read many" we always ask "have they read Bone?" If they say "yes", we recommend the Amulet series as the next step. The latest in the series is the 5th and it's called Prince of the Elves. What do we recommend if they say "no"? See below.

BONE! The grandaddy of them all. Jeff Smith's enduring creation's popularity has not waned in the years since it was first published - in fact, it's more popular than ever!

Vera Brosgol's Anya's Ghost is an award-winning, crowd-pleasing hit! Recommended for 10-to-12 year-olds rather than younger, it's a ghost-story that none other than Neil Gaiman called "...a masterpiece, of YA literature and of comics".

Claudette's a wanna-be giant slayer with no giants in sight! None other than Mr. Jeff Smith, author of the aforementioned Bone lavishes praise on Giants Beware!

The Hilda series is one of my and my daughter's personal favorites. I've mentioned it lots but I'll mention it again. Luke Pearson's creation is a wonder and they are as beautiful as anything from the Nobrow publishing house. Pictured is Hildafolk, the first in the series but we also have Hilda and the Midnight Giant (which was also one of favorite books of 2012) and there's another coming out next year.

The Toon Books imprint are a mark true quality. When you have none other than Francois Mouly (RAW, New Yorker) curating the series you know you're in good hands. The best cartoonists around deliver some of the best and most entertaining kids' lit going all with an eye on cultivating an early appreciation for comics, an idea we can whole-hardheartedly get behind!

Raina Telegemeier receives high praise from the critics and high-fives from her fans for the knack she has at crafting stories with realistic characters and situations that young teens can identify with. Smile's already considered a classic of the genre and Drama is well on its way to joining it.